How to Settle Your Dog’s Stomach

Look at that sweet girl Chloe – with a stomach ache. One day last week she was crying all day. I thought it was because it was 90 degrees and we have no air conditioning. Then at dinner time she ignored her food and I knew something was wrong. She is a lab and typically wolfs down her food in about 10 seconds. I knew she hadn’t eaten anything bad (that I knew of) and then remembered she had jumped into this not-suitable-for-swimming-lake in our neighborhood (it smells horrible) when she was chasing a duck the prior day. The next day additional evidence of her upset stomach was all over the yard – and house. Yuck.

I figured her upset stomach wasn’t that serious but wanted to help her along to feeling better. Chloe had started by helping herself and skipping her dinner – smart girl. I laid off food for 24 hours to help her stomach calm itself and made sure she had lots of fresh water. After the 24 hours I gave her some plain white rice mixed with plain cooked chicken which seemed to agree with her, and tried her regular dried food on day 3. Some people also treat their dog’s upset stomach with canned pumpkin. It’s very important to hydrate your pet during this kind of illness as well. She was back in action in no time – and no lake swimming for her again!

Remember to check with your dog’s vet for any concerns such as this. As your dog’s “parent” you know when something isn’t quite right!